Find Your Joy

Find Your Joy

Have you ever been so excited by a seminar or talk you attended that you just want to share it all with whoever will listen to you? But then, when you finally get someone to listen, it’s all just a jumbled mess of thoughts and impressions, bits and pieces floating...
Everyone’s a hero

Everyone’s a hero

I’m sure you’ve heard that every character in your book considers themselves the hero of the novel. It’s why you need to know the goal, motivation, and conflict of every character (or certainly the primary and secondary characters). But can every...
Revelations about book sales

Revelations about book sales

The trial concerning the potential merger of Simon and Schuster and Penguin Random House has drawn to a close with some incredible revelations. Joanna Penn, in her podcast, The Creative Penn, talked about three major points made by Jane Friedman in her Hot Sheet...
Prioritizing

Prioritizing

So what are you doing today? It’s the question my husband asks me every morning as we’re getting up, having coffee and beginning to think about the day ahead. Usually, I’ve got a list of things I need to get done—I’m a strong believer in To Do lists. I keep a weekly...
Stepping back for a broader view

Stepping back for a broader view

It’s never too late to analyze your book. In fact, despite the fact that I’m a die-hard plotter, I find it incredibly useful to plot out the story structure and character arcs of a book after it’s finished. It doesn’t matter how detailed my plot it, when I actually...